| Written by Xavier Cattarinich TRACK LISTING CD1 (Act I) 01. Turn From Heaven 02. Where Will You Go? 03. Through Dust, Through Rain 04. Signs Are Here 05. Never Again 06. Bring Her Home 07. The Solid Black Beyond 08. The Crowning Of Splendour 09. Morning Has Broken 10. Garden Of Peace 11. Our Destiny 12. Anthem 13. The Palace Ball 14. Jewels From Afar 15. Hail Caesar! 16. What Is Wrong? 17. Nothing But My Name CD2 (Act II) 01. The Arrival Of Apollonius 02. Pledging Loyalty 03. Night Reborn 04. Dagger Of God 05. Temple Of New Jerusalem 06. The Lions Roar 07. Bringing The Gospel 08. Laudate Dominum 09. Remaining Silent 10. Behold Antichrist 11. Cursed By The Fallen 12. Resurrection 13. To Where I Weep 14. Astral Sophia 15. Thy Will Be Done! CD3 (Act III) 01. Shoot Them Down! 02. Beneath The Starry Skies 03. Forgive Me 04. The Wasteland Of My Heart 05. Burning The Palace 06. Prelude To War 07. Day Of Wrath 08. Rise To War 09. Time Has Come/Final Battle 10. My Voyage Carries On 11. Striking Darkness 12. Seeds Of Time 13. To Shine Forever 14. Theme Of Antichrist Release Date: February 9, 2018 Label: Nuclear Blast Records Website: www.therion.se www.facebook.com/therion |  THERION IS: Christofer Johnsson - Guitars, keyboards, programming, Hammond organ, orchestral arrangement Sami Karppinen - Drums Nalle "Grizzly" Påhlsson - Bass guitar Thomas Vikström - Lead vocals Christian Vidal - Guitars Lori Lewis - Vocals Back in 2001, Therion released Secret Of The Runes, a groundbreaking masterpiece in symphonic metal that both revitalized my then-waning passion for heavy metal, and also became the gold standard against which I judge all symphonic rock albums to this day. Fast forward sixteen years to 2018, and Therion have released their most ambitious undertaking to date: Beloved Antichrist. Beloved Antichrist is a 46-track rock opera inspired by nineteenth century Russian philosopher Vladímir Soloviev’s prophetic, if xenophobic, Short Tale Of The Anti-Christ (originally published in 1900), featuring a cast of thirty unique characters, fifteen soloists, and a run time exceeding three hours in length. I must admit that I found it a tough album to review. Despite Secret Of The Runes being one of my all time favourite recordings, Beloved Antichrist is by far the most operatic of Therion’s studio works... and I have a complicated relationship with opera. I grew up in a household with parents who listened to almost nothing but opera and classical music. While I enjoyed most of the classical music, requiems, and cantatas to which they exposed me, I despised the majority of their beloved Italian operas. I disliked the ear-piercing sopranos and what I perceived as a frequent inability by performers in all vocal ranges to achieve balance between technical proficiency and emotion (that’s just my broad opinion of the genre, of course, and fans of classical opera will disagree and would be justified in applying similar criticisms to heavy metal). In hindsight, the ponderous works of Gluck and Wagner were (and remain) more to my taste than the uplifting oeuvres of the Italian masters—like Puccini and Verdi—that my folks preferred. |
Beloved Antichrist’s 183-minute run time only added to my review challenges. Finding a consecutive three-hour block where I could sit and focus, uninterrupted, on Therion’s magnum opus was even harder than I had expected. After a few partially successful attempts, during which my attention drifted at one point or another, I at last pulled off the feat.
On Beloved Antichrist, composer and sole original member Christofer Johnsson, with collaborators Per Albinsson (lyrics) and Christian Vidal, transform Soloviev’s tale into a mystical sci-fi epic exploring the fall of human civilization and religion in a not-too-distant future. European civilization is reborn as a “new Rome” built on Christian foundations, and the story follows the rise to power of Caesar Seth—a messianic, Rasputin-like figure—who makes a Faustian pact with Satan in order to achieve his vision of a superior future for humanity, with the aid of zealous converts. Every piece on the album represents a complete scene in the three-act story, with each act unfolding on its corresponding disc if you purchase the three-CD set. The blend of melodic metal with symphonic and choral arrangements is solid overall, and, to my very pleasant surprise, Johnsson and Vidal manage to give all songs their own distinct identity. You’ll find very little that’s redundant here, which is impressive given the number of compositions on the album. Many tracks—like “Our Destiny”, “Hail Caesar!”, and “To Where I Weep”, to name but a few—project what I think of as Therion’s classic sound, as captured in varying iterations on Vovin (1998), Crowning Of Atlantis (1999), Deggial (2000), and Lemuria/Sirius B (2004), but sans rock vocals.
Standout numbers include “Pledging Loyalty", “Dagger Of God”, “The Lions Roar”, “Bringing The Gospel”, “Laudate Dominum”, “Astral Sophia”, “Thy Will Be Done!”, “Shoot Them Down!”, “Prelude To War”, “Rise To War”, and “To Shine Forever”, all in Act II except for the latter four, which are selections from Act III. Keep in mind that nothing on Beloved Antichrist comes close to the majesty and intensity of Secret Of The Runes. As a whole, I found Act II to be the strongest and Act I the weakest by far, mostly on account of soloist performances, awkward lyrics, or substandard passages. Although tenor Thomas Vikström plays the role of protagonist Caesar Seth, the titular antichrist, I find that baritone Markus Jupiter—the voice of Apollonius, who appears in the second act—steals the show. Jupiter would have made a fitting, sophisticated and more resonant Satan, but that role went to bass vocalist Erik Rosenius. While Chiara Malvestiti (Johanna), Lori Lewis (Helena), Melissa Verlak (Sophia), and the other sopranos generally impressed in spite of my frequent inability to distinguish between them, Vikström and fellow tenor Kaj Hagstrand (President/Building Master) fall in that range and pitch that rub me the wrong way. “Bringing The Gospel” may be my favourite track on the album not only because of its majesty, but because it highlights the choir exclusively. That said, both Vikström and Jupiter excel together on “Pledging Loyalty”.
The tenor performances notwithstanding, low points for me include the Disney-esque “Through Dust, Through Rain” and “Seeds Of Time”, along with the smelly cheese of “Morning Has Broken”, “Garden Of Peace”, “The Palace Ball”, “The Wasteland Of My Heart”, and “Day Of Wrath”. Some songs have truly cringeworthy and laughter-inducing lyrics. For example, near the end of “The Solid Black Beyond,” Rosenius/Satan declares to Vikström/Seth in somber, yet comical spoken word: “I am your father”. Ugh. Has Johnsson never seen, or has no one told him, about a certain scene in a very popular movie called The Empire Strikes Back? In all fairness, there are clever reflections, too, such as the following from epilogue “Theme Of Antichrist”:
Hallowed be thy name
But what will remain
More than empty words?
Never take away questions from the
Answers to the world
Ultimately, Beloved Antichrist was not released as an album per se, but as the soundtrack to a not yet complete stage production. It is meant to be appreciated as part of a comprehensive audio-visual experience. I can see how it might succeed in that regard, and would certainly be interested in experiencing the full live spectacle. Yet, because listeners currently only have access to the musical half of the project, I can only review Beloved Antichrist in terms of what it is, and not what it might one day become. Yes, it undeniably is a milestone in the orchestral metal genre, it may be the most ambitious rock opera ever recorded, and it might or might not appeal to fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber... but those characteristics in and of themselves do not make an album great.
On the one hand, the choir and musicianship are excellent, the production crisp if unremarkable, and the rock elements generally well-balanced with the symphonic elements. On the other hand, annoying tenors, limited tonal distinctions between characters (e.g., one soprano can easily be mistaken for another), and an insufficient ratio of stand-out numbers vs. total tracks lessen my enjoyment of Therion’s latest oeuvre. Given that I did not find Act I particularly captivating after nearly a dozen listens, I feel that the overwhelming length of Beloved Antichrist provides the final nail in its own coffin. I’m sure the story could have been told more effectively with fewer songs/scenes and shorter acts. Although I have the utmost respect for Christofer Johnsson’s willingness to constantly push creative boundaries and for his fearlessness in the face of what many might consider commercial suicide, I can’t see myself listening to this album again in the foreseeable future. If, conversely, you can regularly dedicate three uninterrupted hours of your time to fully appreciate an album, or are willing to buy a three-hour long opus for background music, then by all means, check out Beloved Antichrist. For me, Secret Of The Runes remains the undisputed pinnacle of symphonic/operatic metal, by a long shot.
Final Rating: 6/10
On Beloved Antichrist, composer and sole original member Christofer Johnsson, with collaborators Per Albinsson (lyrics) and Christian Vidal, transform Soloviev’s tale into a mystical sci-fi epic exploring the fall of human civilization and religion in a not-too-distant future. European civilization is reborn as a “new Rome” built on Christian foundations, and the story follows the rise to power of Caesar Seth—a messianic, Rasputin-like figure—who makes a Faustian pact with Satan in order to achieve his vision of a superior future for humanity, with the aid of zealous converts. Every piece on the album represents a complete scene in the three-act story, with each act unfolding on its corresponding disc if you purchase the three-CD set. The blend of melodic metal with symphonic and choral arrangements is solid overall, and, to my very pleasant surprise, Johnsson and Vidal manage to give all songs their own distinct identity. You’ll find very little that’s redundant here, which is impressive given the number of compositions on the album. Many tracks—like “Our Destiny”, “Hail Caesar!”, and “To Where I Weep”, to name but a few—project what I think of as Therion’s classic sound, as captured in varying iterations on Vovin (1998), Crowning Of Atlantis (1999), Deggial (2000), and Lemuria/Sirius B (2004), but sans rock vocals.
Standout numbers include “Pledging Loyalty", “Dagger Of God”, “The Lions Roar”, “Bringing The Gospel”, “Laudate Dominum”, “Astral Sophia”, “Thy Will Be Done!”, “Shoot Them Down!”, “Prelude To War”, “Rise To War”, and “To Shine Forever”, all in Act II except for the latter four, which are selections from Act III. Keep in mind that nothing on Beloved Antichrist comes close to the majesty and intensity of Secret Of The Runes. As a whole, I found Act II to be the strongest and Act I the weakest by far, mostly on account of soloist performances, awkward lyrics, or substandard passages. Although tenor Thomas Vikström plays the role of protagonist Caesar Seth, the titular antichrist, I find that baritone Markus Jupiter—the voice of Apollonius, who appears in the second act—steals the show. Jupiter would have made a fitting, sophisticated and more resonant Satan, but that role went to bass vocalist Erik Rosenius. While Chiara Malvestiti (Johanna), Lori Lewis (Helena), Melissa Verlak (Sophia), and the other sopranos generally impressed in spite of my frequent inability to distinguish between them, Vikström and fellow tenor Kaj Hagstrand (President/Building Master) fall in that range and pitch that rub me the wrong way. “Bringing The Gospel” may be my favourite track on the album not only because of its majesty, but because it highlights the choir exclusively. That said, both Vikström and Jupiter excel together on “Pledging Loyalty”.
The tenor performances notwithstanding, low points for me include the Disney-esque “Through Dust, Through Rain” and “Seeds Of Time”, along with the smelly cheese of “Morning Has Broken”, “Garden Of Peace”, “The Palace Ball”, “The Wasteland Of My Heart”, and “Day Of Wrath”. Some songs have truly cringeworthy and laughter-inducing lyrics. For example, near the end of “The Solid Black Beyond,” Rosenius/Satan declares to Vikström/Seth in somber, yet comical spoken word: “I am your father”. Ugh. Has Johnsson never seen, or has no one told him, about a certain scene in a very popular movie called The Empire Strikes Back? In all fairness, there are clever reflections, too, such as the following from epilogue “Theme Of Antichrist”:
Hallowed be thy name
But what will remain
More than empty words?
Never take away questions from the
Answers to the world
Ultimately, Beloved Antichrist was not released as an album per se, but as the soundtrack to a not yet complete stage production. It is meant to be appreciated as part of a comprehensive audio-visual experience. I can see how it might succeed in that regard, and would certainly be interested in experiencing the full live spectacle. Yet, because listeners currently only have access to the musical half of the project, I can only review Beloved Antichrist in terms of what it is, and not what it might one day become. Yes, it undeniably is a milestone in the orchestral metal genre, it may be the most ambitious rock opera ever recorded, and it might or might not appeal to fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber... but those characteristics in and of themselves do not make an album great.
On the one hand, the choir and musicianship are excellent, the production crisp if unremarkable, and the rock elements generally well-balanced with the symphonic elements. On the other hand, annoying tenors, limited tonal distinctions between characters (e.g., one soprano can easily be mistaken for another), and an insufficient ratio of stand-out numbers vs. total tracks lessen my enjoyment of Therion’s latest oeuvre. Given that I did not find Act I particularly captivating after nearly a dozen listens, I feel that the overwhelming length of Beloved Antichrist provides the final nail in its own coffin. I’m sure the story could have been told more effectively with fewer songs/scenes and shorter acts. Although I have the utmost respect for Christofer Johnsson’s willingness to constantly push creative boundaries and for his fearlessness in the face of what many might consider commercial suicide, I can’t see myself listening to this album again in the foreseeable future. If, conversely, you can regularly dedicate three uninterrupted hours of your time to fully appreciate an album, or are willing to buy a three-hour long opus for background music, then by all means, check out Beloved Antichrist. For me, Secret Of The Runes remains the undisputed pinnacle of symphonic/operatic metal, by a long shot.
Final Rating: 6/10
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